What Could Be
by Breellis09
Summary: Obi-Wan was defeated along with Qui-Gon in the battle against Darth Maul and no one is left to fight for Anakin. Knight Callat steps up to the task of training the Skywalker boy.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: Decisions

The door to the Jedi council room had been closed for quite some time, the masters debating on the fate of Anakin Skywalker. With Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan killed in the battle against Darth Maul, there was no one to fight for Anakin's case. The temple had certainly taken a hit. Qui-Gon was a great master and Obi-Wan had moved from an exceptional padawan to recently being knighted. The loss would be one not forgotten for years to come. They were still shocked to know that a Sith lord had come out of the darkness. Darth Maul was dead, but was he the only one? It was doubtful.

"Too emotional, young Skywalker is. Destruction in his future, I forsee. Upon him, darkness will descend," Master Yoda mused, looking out at the other Jedi around him.

"Qui-Gon may have promised to have him trained, but he isn't here anymore. No other Master in this temple would take Anakin as a padawan," Master Windu pointed out, shaking his head slowly.

The door to the council opened suddenly, multiple pair of eyes landing on the figure rushing their way into the middle of the room.

"Masters," Valara Callat said calmly, bowing before the Jedi in the room. "I apologize for the interruption to your meeting. However this can not wait," trailing behind Valara was the subject of the meeting himself.

"What could be so important?" Mace Windu asked, eyeing the pair skeptically. The boy appeared nervous, fidgeting with his hands just behind Knight Callat's Jedi robes.

Valara tilted her head, glancing at the master before turning her attention to Yoda.

"Master Yoda, I know you have been debating for sometime on whether Anakin should be trained or not. I also know the odds are not in his favor at this moment. It was different when Master Qui-Gon wanted to train him. He had a chance then. That's why I'm here, to tell you that I will accept Anakin as my padawan. I believe that he deserves the chance to be trained just like anyone else," she had her hands clasped behind her back, blue eyes firmly set on the Jedi in front of her. Her tone did not waver. "My Master was very close to Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan alike. This is what they would want."

"You are hardly knighted yourself Valara, taking on a padawan so out of character would not be suitable," Plo-Koon spoke up, offering the knight an appraising look.

"With all due respect master.. being recently knighted has nothing to do with my ability to train Anakin," she paused, looking down at the boy behind her. "Considering my own circumstances revolving around becoming a padawan, I think I would be an excellent master for him."

"Much fear he has within him," was the only thing Yoda said, eyes following Valara's as he watched Anakin.

"Of course he does. He has been a slave as long as he can remeber and has just become free for the first time. He has left his home planet, his mother, and everything he has ever known. He has a right to be scared, anyone would be in his position Master Yoda. But that does not mean he can not learn to turn that fear into acceptance," she was not going to budge on this. It did not feel right to tear Anakin from his planet only to reject him and send him back. If he truly was who they said he was, they needed him. Who was to say the Sith wouldn't go looking for him next? Yes he was older than the other padawan's but that did not mean they couldn't try.

The Grand Jedi Master merely nodded. He could see the determination behind the young knight's eyes. She was set in her decision. It reminded him much of Qui-Gon, something that was both good and bad. He could indulge Qui-Gon one last time.

"Then train young Skywalker, you will," Yoda said after a few moments, tipping his head in respect towards Valara.

The smile that spread across her face was carefully controlled, Yoda could tell. She was restraining the excitement he could sense in both the young knight and the Skywalker boy. Something he could pretend to overlook for the sake of knowing he brought joy to a time that was so filled with mourning.


	2. Chapter 2

(A/N: Thanks to everyone who has read so far! I will try to update once or twice a week if I can. If you have any questions or ideas on how I could do something better, feel free to message me or leave a review. I don't own Star Wars just the idea for the story and my OC. Btw, to those of you wondering, I do love the Obi-Wan/Anakin duo, this is just my take on how things would have been different had Anakin had a different master. )

Chapter 2: New Beginnings

Their first night together was awkward, at least in the beginning. Valara had no idea where to start with Anakin. She wasn't sure what to say to peak the boys interest, she had always been a bit of social recluse to her peers. But that didn't seem to stop Anakin; he was the complete opposite. As soon as they made it to their new shared quarters, the boy had peered around with interest before looking back at his new master for permission to look around.

"Anakin, this space is every bit yours as it is mine. You are free to go anywhere in our shared quarters." She tilted her head down to look at him before giving him a gentle nudge inside and closing the door behind them. That was all he needed before he was off, wandering around and touching anything he could get his hands on. Valara followed behind him at a slower pace, giving him the space to look around as he wished. She had stayed in a place similiar to what they were in now, except she had been the padawan staying with her master. She knew from experience it took a bit of getting used to.

"All this is for me?" The surprised squeak that followed caused the Knight to poke her head around the corner, watching as Anakin stood in the middle of his room, arms stretched out around him.

The room wasn't much; it had a bed, a desk, a closet, and a holonet that Valara herself had requested for him. She felt a strange pang in her heart at his question. Of course he would be in awe at having all that to himself. She didn't know much about Anakin's past life, had only been briefed on what went down on Naboo. She knew that he had been a slave, freed by Qui-Gon after he had won the Pod Race.

"Yes. This is all yours. Feel free to do whatever you like with the space. There is a bathroom attached to-" That was all she could get out before the boy was off again, dashing past her to look at the bathroom. Yes, Valara thought to herself, she had definitley made the right decision by taking him in.

An hour or so later, they were sitting across from each other at the table in the kitchen. She could tell Anakin was trying to be slow with his food, match her own pace. It made her laugh softly, tapping her fork gently to get his attention.

"Please do eat all you'd like. There's plenty more and I know I won't eat anymore." The smile that soon followed, told her she had said the right thing. After a few more moments of silence, Anakin popped his fork in his mouth before looking up at her.

"I feel like everyone knows all this stuff 'bout me. But I don't know a whole lot about you. Seeing as you're gonna be my master and all..." He trailed off after that, chewing his food thoughtfully.

"Ask me anything you'd like. I'll answer the best I can." Valara pushed her plate aside and rested her elbows on the table, propping her chin up in her hands.

"What's your favorite color?" That was his first question. The question made her pause, looking at her new apprentice curiously. That was what he wanted to know?

"Well... Jedi usually do not have 'favorite' things. We do not give much thought to what we do or do not like in regards to things like that-" The disappointment that seemed to radiate off Anakin made her stop, rethinking her answer. "However I do like the color blue. It's very...pretty. Don't you think?"

The smile soon returned and Anakin nodded eagerly, taking another bite of his food.

"That is a pretty color. I like the color orange. Sometimes on Tatooine we'd get a really pretty sunset. My mom liked those. She'd always point out how nice the oranges and reds looked." He seemed to pause when he mentioned his mother, a sad sort of smile taking over his features. "You said in the Jedi Council room that the...circumstances around you becoming a padawan were odd like mine? Is that true?" The boy set down his fork, pushing his plate next to her own.

"Yes... It was very strange. A coincidence really. I was going to be sold into slavery as a young child. I don't remember, only what my Master has told me. He found me completley by accident and brought me to the Jedi Temple. The High Council wasn't too keen on taking me in, but Qui-Gon stepped in to help my Master convince them. And well, here I am." Valara didn't tell that story to many, it wasn't really anyone's business but her own. However, she felt she needed to open up at least a little to Anakin, answer his questions. She figured it might make him a little more comfortable around her.

"Oh that's.. that's good. I'm glad your Master found you and Master Qui-Gon helped you become a Padawan. If they hadn't you wouldn't be my Master and I would be on a ship back to Tatooine. And I think I'm going to like you very much," Anakin ended his sentence with confidence, getting up to take their plates to the sink.

"Yes.. I think I'll like you too Anakin," turning in her chair, Valara watched her young apprentice with a fond smile.

"I thought you guys didn't give thought to what you like?" Anakin asked, head tilting to the side, eyebrows furrowed together.

"Well there's an exception to everything yes? I think you'll be an exception to a lot of things young one." Valara stood up, making her way over to the sink where side by side they finished cleaning up.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Wrath of a Jedi Master

Valara never understood the human need to fit in with one's peers. She had been around enough of them to pick up on the cue, but she could never quite put it together. She became a Jedi to help others, not to make friends. On her planet, education was taken very seriously and because of it she trained for years under her master without question. When her peers picked fun at her for being the 'loner', Valara took pride in dropping them where they stood. That's what training was for, right? However children are relentless, they would pick at her over everything. With so many different races, she could never fathom why her pointy ears really stood out. For the most part it never bothered her and she could brush it off without a problem. That was the way of the Jedi. Anger was internalized and then let go before it had a chance to fester.

She lost control of herself once. Xylas, a student in her group, never liked her. They competed relentlessly but Valara never stooped to his level of insults. They had been sparring against one another, it was a close match until Valara managed to get the upper hand on the other boy. "Where are your parents?" He had sneered, poking at her weak spot. The response he had gotten was a delicate arched eyebrow. "You should have been a slave! That's where you belong!" It was those words that had gotten her. She had brushed off every petty insult, every sneer, but something inside her snapped that day. The scream that had followed had startled everyone in the room, including her master. The floor of the Jedi temple had shook for the briefest moment before a hand had been clamped over her mouth and she had been carried away. The amount of power she felt coursing through her for those few seconds scared her. She thought that was her last day in training when her master sat her down for a talk. It was engrained in her head that day how important control was. After that day, she had never let her feelings get the best of her again.

Until the day she sees Anakin shed a tear. She comes back to their shared quarters after a meeting with Plo-Koon, only to hear the faint sound of sniffling coming from the bathroom attached to Anakin's room. At first she's not sure what she should do, if she should leave him be or approach the door. She's never dealt with a crying child before and idly wonders what her Master would have done. The Jedi stands in silence for a moment before walking towards the door, knocking softly.

"Anakin...are you alright?" Valara asks softly, straining to hear a response.

"Mhm." Is the only muffled thing she hears before the boy is getting up and opening the door.

She is faced with blood shot eyes and a watery smile. Her first reaction is to check her young padawan over for any signs of injury and when she finds none, she kneels down to Anakin's height.

"Would you like to tell me what is the matter, little one?" Valara tries to sound gentle, her hand coming up to rest on Anakin's shoulder. All she gets for the first few minutes is silence as the boy mules over his options. Eventually another tear rolls down his cheek followed by a quiet sniffle.

"I really tried not to cry, Master." He says quietly, voice cracking as he wipes at his eyes. In the few months that she had been training Anakin, she had never heard him sound so little. "But they don't want to be friends with me." Another sniffle.

"Who doesn't want to be friends with you, Anakin?" She asks, her heart aching at the sight of her sad padawan.

"The other kids in my group..they think I'm weird! They don't think I hear but I do. They say I don't belong here." She can tell he's holding something back, the way his voice is strained. She knows better than to push Anakin for answers, knows he'll shut down the second he feels pressured. The Knight leans up and wraps her arms around her young apprentice and allows him to cry, rubbing circles into his back.

"One of them even said my mother didn't want me." If Valara hadn't been so close to him, she doesn't think she would have heard him.

"Well... We don't believe everything we hear we do? You deserve to be here just as much as anyone else, Anakin. And you know your mother loves you very much. I'm sure she thinks about you every night, just like you think about her. Children can be very harsh, even children training to be Jedi. But you know what?" She asks quietly, bringing her thumb up to wipe away a stray tear.

"What?" He asks, breathing easing out as he calms down.

"It just means that you're better than them and they don't like that." She knows it illogical to say such things, but it brings a smile to her padawan's face and in the moment that's what matters. "Now why don't you clean up and when I get back, we'll start dinner?"

Anakin nods before heading back in the direction of the bathroom, door sliding shut behind him. Valara stands up, dusting herself off before heading for the door. Part of her knows Anakin can take care of himself, but he shouldn't have to at ten years old. Her black robes flow behind her as she walks towards the Jedi Temple, boots padding silently. By the time she's through, they will know that her padawan is not to be trifled with. She makes a silent promise to herself and to Anakin, that he will not shed another tear under her protection.

(A/N: Lmao if only, we all know how much Ani cries, poor thing. Well hey guys! It's only been about eleven months since my last update. Terribly sorry about that, I really am awful. Work and school are also awful. But I do have more of this written out finally so hopefully I'll be updating in a timely manner now that I've got a bit of a break. Thanks for reading!)


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